# e30 Tranny swap anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [March 24, 2006, 8:46am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784 "2006-03-24T08:46:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Coldaccord](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/coldaccord/32/7272_2.png) [@Coldaccord](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Coldaccord)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 8:46am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/1 "2006-03-24T08:46:24Z")
Friend of mine has been looking for an e30 for a while. found a nice 325is with 92k, but its auto. i dont have time to attempt it, but anyone want to do a tranny swap on it? for $ of course. I’d source all the parts first. A bunch of people have done the swap and said it’s prettys traightforward ---
**Author:** ![tpgsr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tpgsr/32/7374_2.png) [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 9:20am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/2 "2006-03-24T09:20:07Z")
turn around time? ---
**Author:** ![BubbleSparkxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@BubbleSparkxx](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/BubbleSparkxx)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 1:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/3 "2006-03-24T13:00:48Z")
ugh - seems like a hassle - esp since there are tons of nice e30’s available with manuals cheep out here in the West/Southwest. Why doesn’t your friend just find a manual and drop the money for shipping rather than trying to do a tranny swap? ---
**Author:** ![Smaefer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@Smaefer](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Smaefer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 1:04pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/4 "2006-03-24T13:04:04Z")
> [@BubbleSparkxx](#): > > ugh - seems like a hassle - esp since there are tons of nice e30’s available with manuals cheep out here in the West/Southwest. Why doesn’t your friend just find a manual and drop the money for shipping rather than trying to do a tranny swap? Good point^^^^^ As easy as something sounds is not always the case. I know someone who did a 5 speed swap in a MKIII Golf. He said he would never do it again PITA… ---
**Author:** ![Coldaccord](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/coldaccord/32/7272_2.png) [@Coldaccord](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Coldaccord)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/5 "2006-03-24T15:17:28Z")
as easily as it sounds, finding an e30 with 92k on it is pretty darn impossible. especially for 3500. hell, especially for 5 grand. mine had 99k on it when i bought it, and i paid double that. 3500 for the car and $1k in labor is pretty nice to have an 89 325is 5 sp hes been looking on the west coast too, and hasnt come up with anything out there, so this option seems pretty viable ---
**Author:** ![Coldaccord](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/coldaccord/32/7272_2.png) [@Coldaccord](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Coldaccord)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 9:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/6 "2006-03-30T09:37:21Z")
ttt ---
**Author:** ![boardjnky4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@boardjnky4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/boardjnky4)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 9:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/7 "2006-03-30T09:58:39Z")
how hard could it be, ide be down to help, even use my garage if some guys that are more familiar with beemers wanna do it. ---
**Author:** ![tpgsr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tpgsr/32/7374_2.png) [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 10:03am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/8 "2006-03-30T10:03:51Z")
Me and my roomate can do it pretty quickly i would assume, depending on how smooth the transition is, and if anything needs to be fab’d to accomplish it. We have 1 open bay in the garage (Firebird shell is not possibly moving out of the nice bay), and if he already has the parts, I am not doing anything for the rest of this week, and weekend into next week if needed. I as you may know was the GM for aamco trans. so i do know a thing or two about R&R as well as the trans itself. Are there any specific writeups on the BMW forums from guys that have done this so that we have an idea of the complications/tricks to do it the easiest/fastest? ---
**Author:** ![Coldaccord](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/coldaccord/32/7272_2.png) [@Coldaccord](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Coldaccord)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/9 "2006-03-30T20:00:57Z")
no fabbing necessary. supposed to be pretty straight forward. i just searched it on an e30 forum and found this; > **[Auto to 5speed Transmission Conversion Write up(56k no - R3VLimited Forums](https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=48380&highlight=tranny+swap&t=48380&highlight=tranny+swap)** > > R3VLimited Forums ---
**Author:** ![tpgsr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tpgsr/32/7374_2.png) [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/10 "2006-03-30T22:55:35Z")
It seems like a good bit of labor, but nothing over the top. Send me a PM with how much he is offering and we can work something out. My only concern is that he provides the parts and necessary bolts etc… for the conversion so i dont have to spend a lot of my time searching. I know your love for BMW’s, and especially if he shares the same passion, i am more than happy to help. ---
**Author:** ![MPD47](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mpd47/32/7383_2.png) [@MPD47](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MPD47)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 8:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/11 "2006-03-31T08:37:56Z")
tpgsr, just watch out for the “hell” torx on the top of the trans 😉 It’s not actually THAT bad. ---
**Author:** ![Coldaccord](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/coldaccord/32/7272_2.png) [@Coldaccord](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Coldaccord)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/12 "2006-03-31T13:53:54Z")
> [@MPD47](#): > > tpgsr, just watch out for the “hell” torx on the top of the trans 😉 > > It’s not actually THAT bad. its not that bad. mine had a ton of torx around the block to the bellhousing. wasn’t too bad. i had the torx headbolts on one of my m20’s too the only thing that really pissed me off was the “tube of death.” ---
**Author:** ![fiend540](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bcef8e/32.png) [@fiend540](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/fiend540)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/13 "2006-03-31T13:56:29Z")
Good e30’s are becoming harder and harder to find for reasonable prices. One day I shall own one though ---
**Author:** ![Boostd\_VR4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f0a364/32.png) [@Boostd\_VR4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Boostd_VR4)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 9:05am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-tranny-swap-anyone/9784/14 "2006-04-07T09:05:36Z")
blahhh… I just sold my e30 with a perfect trans and clutch for 500 bucks this morning. ☹